WHAT’S THAT COLOR? AMRIZE GETS IT RIGHT FOR ALLEN, TX, REC CENTER
The Stephen G. Terrell Recreation Center combines Texas-sized ambition with performance-driven construction. Photo credit: City of Allen, Texas
Allen, Texas, doesn’t do things in half measures. The northern Dallas-Fort Worth suburb has grown steadily for years and when the city decided it was time for a new recreation center, they went big — 149,000 square feet, 85 acres big.
The Stephen G. Terrell Recreation Center is the largest recreation facility in Allen’s history. It’s built for everyone from kids in swim lessons to retirees in fitness classes. To welcome all, it sports a sunny exterior — from the building’s facade to the surrounding hardscape.
From its vibrant color to its epic size, the facility needed a unique combination of expertise, materials and partnerships. Enter Amrize IMAGItect™ concrete, designed to fulfill builders’ boldest ambitions. Here’s how it all came together.
THE AMBITION: ALL PATHS LEAD TO THE SAME COLOR
Amrize supplied high-performance concrete solutions to achieve consistent color and finish across paving, walkways and key site features. Photo credits: City of Allen, Texas
Photo credits: City of Allen, Texas
For a project of this size and visibility, performance and appearance carried equal weight.
The exterior hardscape needed to meet exact color specifications while maintaining uniformity across paving, sidewalks and the driveway that frames the facility. On an 85-acre site, that's no small feat. The finish needed to feel intentional, cohesive and worthy of the investment inside.
THE SOLUTION: IT'S A MATCH — IN PIGMENT AND PERFORMANCE
IMAGItect™ decorative concrete by Amrize brought color and texture together to create a cohesive look across the project. Photo credit: City of Allen, Texas
Amrize came on as the materials partner, with high-performance concrete — and a track record of delivering it. The project scope included:
- 19,471 yd³ of concrete
- 924 yd³ of IMAGItect decorative concrete for driveways, paving and sidewalks
- Schofield Mesa Beige pigment for a uniform exterior finish
IMAGItect™ Schofield Mesa Beige perfectly matched the tone specified for the project. It also offered a cohesive finish across every surface.
From there, the key was disciplined batching and pigment management, ensuring each load matched the last, from the first sidewalk panel to the final drive aisle. Close coordination with subcontractor Miller Sierra matched production timing with field placement, supporting consistency across every phase.
"The relationships in our industry are built on trust earned over time,” says Duain Wetteland, Area Sales Manager, at Amrize. “Miller Sierra knows that when they bring us in, we're going to deliver the right materials and stand behind them. That's not a promise — it's just how we work."
THE RESULTS: A WARM WELCOME TO A COOL SPACE
Built for more than workouts, the center creates a shared space for the Allen community as a place to stay active and come together. Photo credit: City of Allen, Texas
The Stephen G. Terrell Recreation Center opened in 2024 and has become the community hub it was designed to be. Residents flock daily to the 149,000-square-foot three- and eight-court gymnasiums, indoor play areas, fitness spaces and classrooms.
Outside, the hardscape performs as intended. Clean lines. Consistent color. A welcoming look for a designation that’s all about getting together.
For Amrize, the Terrell Recreation Center is the kind of project that reflects what a real partnership produces. The right materials, specified and delivered with precision, in service of a space built to advance how we live.
